Destiny Swap Ritual

Helena rolled her eyes at me.

“The student council came and told us to submit our homework. They sent me here to get you to finish our work before our group gets penalized for late submission. Did you think I’d come asking you to turn on your computer otherwise?”

All four of us were in a group for schoolwork and would routinely help each other submit our schoolwork.

This was all so sudden, but I figured what she was saying made sense.

Upon snapping out of my grogginess, I suddenly remembered that my messages were synced onto my desktop. Also, I had my conversation with Sybille pinned to the top, which meant Helena could easily find what I had said to Sybille!

Just as I expected, her expression dropped before I had time to scramble out of bed to stop her.

She shot a look at me. “I knew it. You have been badmouthing me with your best friend, haven’t you?”

I confronted her directly instead of cowering from guilt.

“I know whoever put that hex on me is in our dormitory. You’ve always had something against me, so it only makes sense that I would suspect you. If it turns out I was mistaken about you, I’ll apologize. But you’ll have to prove your innocence first!”

Helena snapped back at me, “I’m not afraid of taking accountability for what I did! Sure, I admit I was the one who tampered with your things in the past. But why would I even bother trampling over you now that your life is in the gutter?

“Besides, my family's good fortune was not something that happened overnight. Do you have any idea how hard my brother and father worked to get here? They had to attend so many business events and drink until they threw up so they could secure all these projects. You have no right to accuse me of hexing you!”

She suddenly snuck a look at bed number three before pulling a face. “I’m not the two-faced person you think I am.”

With that, she left without turning back.

I was left rooted to the spot, thinking about what she said.

It was true that Helena had the least incentive to lie to me.

Both she and I came from similar circumstances. It would not make sense for her to shoulder the risk of being ridiculed and slandered for doing something as immoral as trying to swap her fate with mine.

Then, I recalled the subtle way she darted a look at Anette’s bed just now.

Anette was convinced that furthering her education was the only way to claw her way out of the low circumstances she was born in.

Even though we were only in our sophomore year, she had already started preparing for the master's thesis.

Whenever she was not attending classes, she would be studying in the library from eight in the morning to six in the evening. At night, she worked part-time in the cafeteria.

At this hour, she should be on shift.

With this in mind, I approached her desk. She had very little belongings at her desk, only a few books and a folder containing award certificates.

After hesitating for a few seconds, I gently opened the drawer.

I found a sparse collection of stationery and some notebooks from the school. Apart from that, there was nothing suspicious inside.

I heaved a sigh of relief before feeling a sharp pang of guilt.

How could I have doubted Anette just like that?

As I was about to close the drawer, I heard something clattering inside the pencil case.

Without even thinking about it, I opened it.

It contained a gold necklace I had lost some time ago and had been searching for fruitlessly.

Anette had helped me search for it, too!

I could feel the gears in my mind overclocking and began rummaging through the other drawers.

I found some skin care products that I seldom used, as well as lipstick that I had only got to use a handful of times.

“I am not that kind of two-faced person.”

What Helena said just now thundered in my mind.

Anette claimed Helena had been going through my things. However, this entire time, she was the one who had been stealing from me!

Had she said it because Helena caught her in the middle of stealing from me? Perhaps she tried to leverage the fact that I did not get along with Helena and thought she could pin the blame on the latter instead.

I shuddered at the thought.

Around this point, I heard someone talking outside the room.

“I don't have to work part-time in the cafeteria anymore! My lecturer just told me I’m getting the national scholarship!”

Anette went on excitedly, “Also, my family’s plot of land was just reclaimed, and we got a sum as legal compensation. That’s more than enough for my father to pay off his debts and build us a new house! There’s more. My brother managed to find a long-term job in the city, so it looks like things are finally looking up for my family!”

“That’s great to hear! You have suffered long enough. It was all worth it!”

Anette fell silent for a few seconds, then opened the door while snickering, “Speaking of which, I’ll have to thank Geneva.

“If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be where I am today.”

The moment the door opened, I locked eyes with Anette.

I could recognize the trace of panic flashing across her eyes.